Banter Bites

You Don’t Have To Be Irish

Top of the morning to you. And the afternoon. And the evening. Because it's said, "On St. Paddy's Day, everyone is Irish!"

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Although we're not Irish, our memories of celebrating St. Patrick's Day go back to our childhoods growing up in New York – Red remembers green bagels and our mom's corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes while Black remembers wearing green so as not to get pinched.

The Irish may have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years, but it's also a day that's celebrated across the globe by those who are Irish, of Irish descent, or merely want to celebrate because it's a "fun" holiday. (Chicago dyes its river green.)

Red carries on her mom's tradition of slow-cooking corned beef for a St. Patrick's Day dinner, but admits it's mostly because she (and now her daughters) loves homemade corned beef. And although throughout her life many people have assumed that she was Irish (it must be the red hair), she admits knowing very little about the history behind St. Patrick's Day.

Black always wondered about the tradition of wearing green to avoid being pinched, but never could get a straight answer why (remember she's old, and the internet's relatively new), so decided a green blouse or scarf was a small price to pay. Not to mention, she's always been a clothes horse, so her closet has clothing in every color.

So, however you celebrate St. Patrick's Day – as a religious holiday, with food and drink, wearing of green, thoughts of leprechauns and luck – enjoy the day. And if you need a little inspiration, check out these Irish quotes. And if you want to make green beer, check out this Betty Crocker recipe!

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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